NBC smitten with Heroes, Office, Earl

In planning out the fall the peacock is banking on its strong current hits and a handful of new shows to continue its upward trend.

Among the biggest news of the network's upfront presentation this week is the order for extra episodes of Earl and The Office -- 30 half-hours of The Office, including five hour-long episodes, and 25 episodes of Earl. That means fewer reruns at the very least and more developed stories at best.

Also, to cut down on gaps in it's smash Heroes (which cost the show a ton of viewers after a long break earlier this year), the network ordered a combined 30 episodes of the show's second chapter -- which will be broken up into two volumes according to Entertainment Weekly -- and a pseudo-spinoff Heroes: Origins, "an innovative new spin-off that each week will introduce a new character -- one of whom will be chosen by viewers through the Heroes website on NBC.com to become a cast regular the following season," according to the network.

Then there's the new stuff:

Quantam Leap-ish Journeyman (Mondays, 10-11 p.m.) from West Wingers Kevin Falls and Emmy Alex Graves is billed as "a romantic mystery-drama about Dan Vasser (Kevin McKidd, Rome), a San Francisco newspaper reporter and family man who inexplicably begins to travel through time and change people's lives. Along the way, he also must deal with the difficulties and strife at work and home brought on by his sudden disappearances.

Chuck (Tuesdays, 9-10 p.m.) from Josh Schwartz (The O.C.) and movie guy McG is a "one-hour, comedic spy thriller about Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi, Less Than Perfect) -- a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government's most vital secret agent. Here's a look:


Not cool enough you say? Well, maybe Bionic Woman (Wednesdays, 9-10 p.m. ET), will work for you. A "re-imagination of the classic" show from David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) and Jason Smilovic (Kidnapped) starring Michelle Ryan (EastEnders). Here's a peek at that one:


The last fall drama is Life, (Wednesdays, 10-11 p.m.), starring Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) as "a complex detective who’s given a second chance on the force after serving years in prison for a crime he didn't commit."

Also new to the NBC schedule will be Lipstick Jungle, from author Candace Bushnell (Sex and the City), which NBC expects to debut on Sundays in January. The show "involves the lives of three high-powered friends (Brooke Shields, Suddenly Susan, Kim Raver, 24, and Lindsay Price, Beverly Hills, 90210) who are determined to achieve their dreams and to do it on their own terms." (I know I've been pretty objective so far, but I'm gagging here...).

The only new comedy even mentioned by the net is The IT Crowd, which based on a British series that "takes a behind-the-scenes peek at the misunderstood techies who toil in the Information Technology department of a large, impersonal corporation." It doesn't have a solid debut date yet.

Also of note: Jerry Seinfeld will create and star in live-action "minisodes" based on his work recording voice overs for his new animated film Bee Movie; Law & Order and Medium will return after football to accompany Lipstick Jungle on Sunday nights; new game show The Singing Bee will flip-flop with 1 vs. 100 in the 8 p.m. Friday time slot.

Here's the network's overall schedule...
MONDAY: Deal or No Deal at 8 p.m., Heroes at 9 p.m. and Journeyman at 10 p.m.
TUESDAY: The Biggest Loser at 8 p.m., Chuck at 9 p.m.; and Law & Order: SVU at 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY: Deal or No Deal at 8 p.m., Bionic Woman at 9 p.m. and Life at 10 p.m.
THURSDAY: Earl at 8 p.m., 30 Rock at 8:30, Office at 9 p.m., Scrubs at 9:30 p.m. and ER at 10 p.m.
FRIDAY: 1 vs 100/The Singing Bee at 8 p.m., Las Vegas at 9 p.m. and Friday Night Lights at 10 p.m.
SATURDAY: Dateline at 8p.m. and drama series encores from 9-11 p.m.
SUNDAY (Fall 2007): Football Night in America at 7 p.m. and Sunday Night Football at 8 p.m.
SUNDAY (January 2008): Dateline at 7 p.m., Law & Order at 8 p.m., Medium at 9p.m. and Lipstick Jungle at 10 p.m.

Notable returns: Scrubs, Friday Night Lights and Law & Order.
Omissions: The Black Donnellys, Studio 60, Crossing Jordan, Raines, Thank God You're Here, The Real Wedding Crashers and Identity. (That's from monstersandcritics.com, but I can't think of anything else that got scrapped).

Whew, that was a lot of work. I'll try to get to ABC this evening in between House and Gilmore Girls.